Designing and producing lightweight automobile bodies

A process for producing a lightweight body-in-white comprised of a plurality of components, the plurality of components being made of a steel material, said process comprising the steps of:

• a. selecting structural performance targets for the body-in-white;
• b. conducting a finite element beam model analysis to determine the locations and cross-sections of said components;
• c. designing a preliminary body-in-white;
• d. creating a finite element shell model;
• e. selecting the thickness of the material for said components, as well as the manufacturing processes used to produce said components, said shell model having at least a first component made from stamped steel material, at least a second component made from hydroformed steel material, and at least a third component made from a tailor blanked material;
• f. conducting a first structural analysis to determine whether said shell model meets said selected structural performance targets;
• g. modifying said shell model where necessary in accordance with said first structural analysis;
• h. selecting crash requirements for said body-in-white;
• i. creating a finite element crash model;
• j. conducting a computer simulated crash model analysis to determine whether said crash model meets said selected crash requirements;
• and
• k. conducting a second structural analysis and modifying said shell model where necessary in accordance with said crash model analysis and said second structural analysis.